Presentation: The Signless is a friendly troll, in itself something of a oxymoron. Because he was raised by a loving troll mother, something no other troll could ever claim, and because of his memories of Beforus, the Signless believes in inherent good inside his fellow trolls and will act accordingly. In a society where trolls are actively encouraged to be violent and anti-social except in terms of producing more trolls and serving the Empress, the Signless's 'treat others as you would like to be treated' attitude is a singularly strange one.
He's not naïve, however. Alternia is a dangerous place, especially for someone with no sign and mutant blood like him. He's inherently less trustful of those in positions of power, and doesn't feel comfortable staying in any one place for too long. This is partially because he feels it his duty to spread his word as far as possible and partially simply because he knows if he presents an easy target he will eventually be captured and killed, along with those that follow him. Though he believes a world of respect and compassion is possible, he also understands that it isn't the current reality.
The Signless is very well-spoken, a good skill for someone who preaches and one he likely inherited from his well-spoken adoptive mother. He's patient in conversation and it takes quite a lot to get him frustrated, even if he knows he's right. You catch more buzzbeasts with honey than with vinegar, after all. He also doesn't curse, though much like his descendant Karkat he tends to speak very inventively when agitated. If he sees an injustice being committed he will speak up, even if it may put him in danger to do so; he very much prefers convincing a person of his position by logic rather than force. His speech and demeanor have a particular pacifying effect on other trolls, and he uses it to his advantage. Still, he knows (mostly from having it impressed upon him for years and years by the Dolorosa, Disciple and Psiioniic) when to walk away from an argument before things turn sour – he'd be no good to anyone if he were dead, and being calm and soothing will only get him so far.
He's very strongly and vocally against oppressive forms of government, especially monarchy, and has a particular dislike for systems based around social castes where one group is made inherently inferior by something they're born with and can't change (he's going to have a lot of fun in Panem).
In terms of physical presentation, the Signless isn't very imposing, which suits him just fine. He doesn't want to intimidate or frighten people into agreeing with him, he wants to earn their trust and respect. As trolls go and even as humans go he's quite short, somewhere around 5'6''. His hands and especially his feet are callused and rough, his eyes are lined beyond his years, and he's quite scruffy despite the Dolorosa's best attempts to get him to look sleek like her. Like most trolls, his fashion sense isn't very good: his chosen clothing is a pair of black leggings (known as the Righteous Leggings) with a top that comes all the way up to his chest and red ornamentation (see the second picture under PB), covered by a ragged cloak, and that's pretty much it. Unlike all other trolls, this clothing bears no sign to distinguish him.
I feel, though, that the stylists and media might go in different directions with him. They may see the yellow and red eyes, the horns, the prominent teeth, and the general 'other'-ness of him, combine it with 'alien from a very violent society', and try to play up that angle to make him appear a stronger competitor than he actually is – keep the ragged clothing, make sure his horns were displayed as well as possible despite being so nubby, things like that. Alternately they may play up the gentle pacifist that he actually is, and reshape his image into something soft and pristine that can then be ruined by the other tributes and the stress of the Arena (probably to the delight of the Capitol viewers). Or they may take the middle road, and try to present him as a good person who is capable of reverting to that more dangerous and non-human 'other', thus again making him appear worse than he is and more likely to do well.
Also, deep down, there is the potential for him to snap entirely. This happens in canon at his execution, when he utters the Vast Expletive and his love and hope turns to rage and despair. He wants so very badly not to fail those he cares about (in this case, most every oppressed troll on Alternia) much in the way that Kankri failed his fellow players in the game by not being a good enough leader. He wants so badly for the highbloods to understand that what they're doing is wrong. The realization that they won't understand this in his lifetime, and perhaps not ever, and that in the interim so many innocents will be hurt and in many cases killed or enslaved, pushes him over the brink. I believe a similar situation could possibly occur in Panem, especially once he's been in several Arenas and tried to speak out multiple times and nothing changes.
Motivations: Like all Alternian trolls, one of the Signless's greatest drives is just to stay alive. This is probably more true of him than of anyone between his status as a kill-on-sight mutant and a dangerous heretic who speaks out against the current Empire. As discussed above, he knows when to cut his losses and he knows how to keep moving around and effectively disappear; growing up in the wilds of Alternia helped with that quite a lot.
He's also heavily influenced by his memories of Kankri and Beforus and the previous game session (it's said in canon that he told of another Signless who would come and bring the end of the world, which refers to his descendent that he would play the game, meaning he must have known about it). Not only does he know what troll society could look like if it were happier and more equal and have bringing that about to motivate him, but he also knows how not to go about inciting social change thanks to seeing Kankri in action. He used the lessons of Kankri's failings as an effective guide, and it paid off for him: all of the trolls from Kankri's time are available for interaction in the shared universal afterlife and many of them say that they are or are implied to be fans of the Signless's work on Alternia. One, Aranea, says point-blank that he became a true leader because of the memories that Kankri passed on to him. And, of course, you have the proof in his huge following that lasted well after his execution and into 'present day' canon Alternia, albeit in secret.
But why strive for social change at all? Why rebel against such a deeply-ingrained Empire and risk execution and torture? Basically, the Signless cares. He cares a lot. He hates to see suffering where he doesn't think suffering needs to exist, and that's just about everywhere. He's deeply saddened seeing what his world and especially his 'friends' from Kankri's time have become in some cases, as well as being determined to protect those he knows in this life as his found family. Unlike most trolls, who accept degradation and pain as part of their lives, the Signless is a firm believer in fighting actively for something better.
The Signless | Homestuck | Reserved
He's not naïve, however. Alternia is a dangerous place, especially for someone with no sign and mutant blood like him. He's inherently less trustful of those in positions of power, and doesn't feel comfortable staying in any one place for too long. This is partially because he feels it his duty to spread his word as far as possible and partially simply because he knows if he presents an easy target he will eventually be captured and killed, along with those that follow him. Though he believes a world of respect and compassion is possible, he also understands that it isn't the current reality.
The Signless is very well-spoken, a good skill for someone who preaches and one he likely inherited from his well-spoken adoptive mother. He's patient in conversation and it takes quite a lot to get him frustrated, even if he knows he's right. You catch more buzzbeasts with honey than with vinegar, after all. He also doesn't curse, though much like his descendant Karkat he tends to speak very inventively when agitated. If he sees an injustice being committed he will speak up, even if it may put him in danger to do so; he very much prefers convincing a person of his position by logic rather than force. His speech and demeanor have a particular pacifying effect on other trolls, and he uses it to his advantage. Still, he knows (mostly from having it impressed upon him for years and years by the Dolorosa, Disciple and Psiioniic) when to walk away from an argument before things turn sour – he'd be no good to anyone if he were dead, and being calm and soothing will only get him so far.
He's very strongly and vocally against oppressive forms of government, especially monarchy, and has a particular dislike for systems based around social castes where one group is made inherently inferior by something they're born with and can't change (he's going to have a lot of fun in Panem).
In terms of physical presentation, the Signless isn't very imposing, which suits him just fine. He doesn't want to intimidate or frighten people into agreeing with him, he wants to earn their trust and respect. As trolls go and even as humans go he's quite short, somewhere around 5'6''. His hands and especially his feet are callused and rough, his eyes are lined beyond his years, and he's quite scruffy despite the Dolorosa's best attempts to get him to look sleek like her. Like most trolls, his fashion sense isn't very good: his chosen clothing is a pair of black leggings (known as the Righteous Leggings) with a top that comes all the way up to his chest and red ornamentation (see the second picture under PB), covered by a ragged cloak, and that's pretty much it. Unlike all other trolls, this clothing bears no sign to distinguish him.
I feel, though, that the stylists and media might go in different directions with him. They may see the yellow and red eyes, the horns, the prominent teeth, and the general 'other'-ness of him, combine it with 'alien from a very violent society', and try to play up that angle to make him appear a stronger competitor than he actually is – keep the ragged clothing, make sure his horns were displayed as well as possible despite being so nubby, things like that. Alternately they may play up the gentle pacifist that he actually is, and reshape his image into something soft and pristine that can then be ruined by the other tributes and the stress of the Arena (probably to the delight of the Capitol viewers). Or they may take the middle road, and try to present him as a good person who is capable of reverting to that more dangerous and non-human 'other', thus again making him appear worse than he is and more likely to do well.
Also, deep down, there is the potential for him to snap entirely. This happens in canon at his execution, when he utters the Vast Expletive and his love and hope turns to rage and despair. He wants so very badly not to fail those he cares about (in this case, most every oppressed troll on Alternia) much in the way that Kankri failed his fellow players in the game by not being a good enough leader. He wants so badly for the highbloods to understand that what they're doing is wrong. The realization that they won't understand this in his lifetime, and perhaps not ever, and that in the interim so many innocents will be hurt and in many cases killed or enslaved, pushes him over the brink. I believe a similar situation could possibly occur in Panem, especially once he's been in several Arenas and tried to speak out multiple times and nothing changes.
Motivations: Like all Alternian trolls, one of the Signless's greatest drives is just to stay alive. This is probably more true of him than of anyone between his status as a kill-on-sight mutant and a dangerous heretic who speaks out against the current Empire. As discussed above, he knows when to cut his losses and he knows how to keep moving around and effectively disappear; growing up in the wilds of Alternia helped with that quite a lot.
He's also heavily influenced by his memories of Kankri and Beforus and the previous game session (it's said in canon that he told of another Signless who would come and bring the end of the world, which refers to his descendent that he would play the game, meaning he must have known about it). Not only does he know what troll society could look like if it were happier and more equal and have bringing that about to motivate him, but he also knows how not to go about inciting social change thanks to seeing Kankri in action. He used the lessons of Kankri's failings as an effective guide, and it paid off for him: all of the trolls from Kankri's time are available for interaction in the shared universal afterlife and many of them say that they are or are implied to be fans of the Signless's work on Alternia. One, Aranea, says point-blank that he became a true leader because of the memories that Kankri passed on to him. And, of course, you have the proof in his huge following that lasted well after his execution and into 'present day' canon Alternia, albeit in secret.
But why strive for social change at all? Why rebel against such a deeply-ingrained Empire and risk execution and torture? Basically, the Signless cares. He cares a lot. He hates to see suffering where he doesn't think suffering needs to exist, and that's just about everywhere. He's deeply saddened seeing what his world and especially his 'friends' from Kankri's time have become in some cases, as well as being determined to protect those he knows in this life as his found family. Unlike most trolls, who accept degradation and pain as part of their lives, the Signless is a firm believer in fighting actively for something better.